Tantalus Blackburnia Ground Beetle (Blackburnia tantalus)

The Tantalus Blackburnia Ground Beetle was described in 1877, it was very abundant at that time and was found along both the Ko’olau –  as well as the Wai’anae Mountain Ranges in central O’ahu, Hawaiian Islands.

The species possessed a well-developed flight apparatus, it appears to have not been specialized in any way, most specimens were collected at elevations between 445 to 600 m, mostly in moss mats on tree trunks as well as under the bark of dead trees. 

The Tantalus Blackburnia Ground Beetle was not recorded during any of the more recent surveys and is now feared to be extinct. [1][2]

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References: 

[1] James K. Liebherr; Dan A. Polhemus: Comparisons to the century before: The legacy of R. C. L. Perkins and Fauna Hawaiiensis as the basis for a long-term ecological monitoring program. Pacific Science 51(4): 490-504. 1997
[2] James K. Liebherr: Hawaiian Blackburnia beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Platynini): Patterns of specialization with implications for conservation. Mitteilungen der Deutschen Gesellschaft für allgemeine und angewendete Entomologie 15: 57-62. 2006 

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edited: 02.09.2019